A field of just seven stayers is set to face off at Caulfield Racecourse on Saturday in the Herbert Power Stakes 2016 following final acceptances for the mile and a half showdown.
Assign is early favourite in a wide open 2016 Herbert Power Stakes field and betting market for this Saturday at Caulfield Racecourse. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
The $400,000 Group 2 Ladbrokes Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) is set to run as Caulfield Guineas Day Race 2 at 12:55pm (AEDT) and offers a ballot exemption to the winner for Saturday week’s $3 million Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m).
Currently all but one of the final acceptors is at single-figures in the Herbert Power Stakes odds at Ladbrokes.com.au.
It is a devastatingly open field for the punters with the “roughie” of the line-up Prince Of Penzance still only pay $10 to win his first race since the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) at odds of 101/1 last November.
The early favourite and market mover in Herbert Power Stakes betting backed in from $3 to $2.80 is Assign, the Robert Hickmott-trained six-year-old coming off a second to Almandin at the track and distance last start.
He finished two lengths back in the Listed Harry White Classic (2400m) on September 24 and drops a kilo to 53kg this weekend looking to go one better from barrier three with Katelyn Mallyon retaining the ride.
Following closely at $3.90 is second elect Howard Be Thy Name from the Melbourne Cup winning stables of Darren Weir.
The four-year-old Redoute’s Choice stallion is best known for his Group 1 SA Derby (2500m) win in Adelaide back in mid-May.
He has since had four runs, including the fourth to Eagle Way in the Group 1 Queensland Derby (2400m) in Brisbane, and two as a four-year-old.
Last start he crossed seventh to stablemate Black Heart Bart in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) and is tipped to relish the step up in metres this weekend and the drop from 58kg that run to just 53.5kg in the Herbert Power Stakes.
The aforementioned Prince Of Penzance leads the Herbert Power Stakes weights on 60kg and John Allen stays on the Pentire seven-year-old who is also looking to go better than his Underwood Stakes ninth getting the extra metres this weekend.
Occupying the third line of betting at an equal $6.50 are Big Memory and Pemberley drawn barriers two and one respectively.
Craig Williams rides the Tony McEvoy-trained Big Memory who ran dead last behind Royal Rapture at the track over 1700m a fortnight back, while the Ciaron Maher-trained Pemberley comes off back-to-back wins out of the city.
He saluted a fortnight ago over 2050m in the Murtoa Cup carrying 58.5kg to victory as the odds-on favourite and is up in distance and class on the weekend, but gets in on the 53kg minimum.
Rounding out the Herbert Power Stakes field and odds are the Terry & Karina O’Sullivan-trained Dandy Gent ($8.50) who last year’s Melbourne Cup winning jockey Michelle Payne rides on the quick back-up after a fifth in last Sunday’s Group 3 The Bart Cummings (2500m) and Weir’s third runner Master Zephyr ($9.50) who was runner-up to Pemberley last time out.
Check out the full Herbert Power Stakes 2016 field, barriers, jockeys and weights below following the links on the Fixed Win pricing on your favourites to Ladbrokes.com.au for the best odds this weekend!
